MONROE — School District of Monroe officials are rolling out a series of deep cuts to programs and services that they say will only be necessary if new revenue — in the form of a return to operational referendum success — cannot be secured in early 2026.

It is the same blunt message district officials delivered to the board during the Nov. 24 board meeting in which finances and the progress on building a new Monroe High School took center stage.  

The cuts, in fact, are deep enough to potentially impact future class sizes, vital support programs, advanced placement access; and other student services. And while district officials agree the cuts are indeed undesirable, the discussion over making them is not a “scare tactic,” as declining enrollment has conspired with shrinking state aid to place all Wisconsin public schools in a tough spot financially.

“The School District of Monroe has reduced millions of dollars from the operating budget over the last few years, and additional reductions will be necessary without increased revenue limit authority (from the state),” district officials said, at the onset of their presentation to the board. “Districts are faced with the choice of making significant reductions, passing a referendum, or doing both.”

As part of an ongoing effort to keep the public involved in the discussion, the district scheduled another community listening session for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at the Monroe High School LMC. The board also will discuss the situation further at its December 8 meeting before key decisions ahead. 

Those sessions and others will cover whether to seek another referendum, how much; and whether it should be a one-time effort or a recurring referendum like the one that was in place for eight years before the public voted it down.

The referendum, if approved, would appear on the April 27, 2026 ballot. Monroe’s woes are shared by scores of other districts in the state: In Wisconsin, 82% of school districts have pursued referendums to sustain staffing and programs. And in 2024 alone, 131 districts brought a combined 148 operational referendum questions to voters.

The last round of cuts in Monroe included eliminating the German language program, slashing a special education teacher and two special education aides.  The reductions also meant that about 300 of the 1,000 students attending summer school last year lost bus rides to and from school.

Even with a successful referendum in April, the district will be forced to find ongoing cost savings to address inflation. As part of that effort, it will cut $285,000 to $380,000 in staffing by eliminating 3 to 4 teaching positions based on class size analysis and program changes. 

These reductions will be finalized in the spring, based on enrollment and staffing needs.

The district in recent years came under fire in part due to what some perceived as conflicting information on the true cost to taxpayers of the 2022 $81 million referendum to build the new high school. 

Officials have said they learned from that process and as a result are committed to “transparency and fiscal responsibility” throughout the current effort to shore up its finances, Joe Monroe said. They also have considered the worsening inflation and financial situation that families face — even moreso today than in 2023 — in their deliberations.

“The district, the community has difficult choices ahead of us,” Joe Monroe said. “Recognizing that there’s a number of folks in our community that are struggling and faced with tough decisions, and there’s a lot of folks who have a vision of what they want the schools to be.”

The $2 million in cuts would include about 23 full-time equivalent staff, among them teachers and support personnel. Meanwhile the district also is paying significant interest each year, due to the short-term borrowing that it needs to stay afloat.

“We’ve been able to lean on our fund balance the last year or two, but that’s not a long-term solution,” said Business Manager Ron Olson.